Campaigners against ageism have hailed Government action to stop employers forcing workers to retire at 65.
Under the measures, being phased in between April and October, bosses will no longer be able to set a mandatory age for retirement except in a few occupations, such as police officers and air traffic controllers.
But there was anger at provisions in the Pensions Bill, which has also been published, which will bring forward to 2020 the planned rise in the state pension age to 66, as well as the proposed switch to a less generous index for the uprating of pensions.
Labour's pensions spokeswoman Rachel Reeves said: "It is clear that on top of the VAT hike, these changes mean pensioners will be worse off next year under this Tory-led Government. Pensioners will be asking why they are having their pensions eroded when they have no responsibility for causing the financial crisis."
Employment relations minister Ed Davey said the abolition of the default retirement age was "great news for older people, great news for business and great news for the economy".
He said: "Retirement should be a matter of choice rather than compulsion - people deserve the freedom to work for as long as they want and are able to do so. Older workers can play an incredibly important role in the workplace and it is high time we ended this outdated form of age discrimination."
Age UK welcomed the phasing out of forced retirement. Charity director Michelle Mitchell said: "With people living longer and healthier lives, retirement patterns are changing rapidly and employment regulations need to be brought in line with workers' legitimate aspirations."
Ros Altmann, director general of Saga, said: "Most people are not old at 65 any more - they are not ready for the scrapheap, work-wise. Indeed, they still have valuable skills and experience which, if lost, would damage all our futures."
But the Institute of Directors has warned that doing away with the retirement age - a commitment of the Government's coalition agreement - will reduce flexibility for employers.
John Walker, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said the default retirement age should be kept. He added: "It is extremely useful for those small businesses that need it and it can stimulate discussions on future career plans and retirement. This will also add to the fears of more employment tribunals if an employer does need to dismiss an underperforming member of staff."
Campaigners against ageism have hailed Government action to stop employers forcing workers to retire at 65.
Under the measures, being phased in between April and October, bosses will no longer be able to set a mandatory age for retirement except in a few occupations, such as police officers and air traffic controllers.
But there was anger at provisions in the Pensions Bill, which has also been published, which will bring forward to 2020 the planned rise in the state pension age to 66, as well as the proposed switch to a less generous index for the uprating of pensions.
Labour's pensions spokeswoman Rachel Reeves said: "It is clear that on top of the VAT hike, these changes mean pensioners will be worse off next year under this Tory-led Government. Pensioners will be asking why they are having their pensions eroded when they have no responsibility for causing the financial crisis."
Employment relations minister Ed Davey said the abolition of the default retirement age was "great news for older people, great news for business and great news for the economy".
He said: "Retirement should be a matter of choice rather than compulsion - people deserve the freedom to work for as long as they want and are able to do so. Older workers can play an incredibly important role in the workplace and it is high time we ended this outdated form of age discrimination."
Age UK welcomed the phasing out of forced retirement. Charity director Michelle Mitchell said: "With people living longer and healthier lives, retirement patterns are changing rapidly and employment regulations need to be brought in line with workers' legitimate aspirations."
Ros Altmann, director general of Saga, said: "Most people are not old at 65 any more - they are not ready for the scrapheap, work-wise. Indeed, they still have valuable skills and experience which, if lost, would damage all our futures."
But the Institute of Directors has warned that doing away with the retirement age - a commitment of the Government's coalition agreement - will reduce flexibility for employers.
John Walker, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said the default retirement age should be kept. He added: "It is extremely useful for those small businesses that need it and it can stimulate discussions on future career plans and retirement. This will also add to the fears of more employment tribunals if an employer does need to dismiss an underperforming member of staff."
A two-year-old boy who died from "non-accidental injuries" has been named by police as detectives continue to question his mother on suspicion of his murder.
Keanu Williams, known as Kiwi to friends and family, was pronounced dead in hospital on Sunday night.
West Midlands Police said he was taken to hospital from an address in Old Moat Way in the Ward End area of Birmingham at 7.42pm.
His 22-year-old mother and her 29-year-old partner were arrested on suspicion of murder at the time of the incident and remain in police custody.
A police spokeswoman said: "A forensic post-mortem held on Tuesday indicated that the child died from non-accidental injuries. The 29-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman who were arrested on suspicion of murder on Sunday remain in custody.
"All of the family have been informed and a family liaison officer has been appointed to support them during this difficult time."
Government moves for a further clampdown on the pay of health workers have received fresh blows after nurses, doctors and other NHS staff rejected the idea and voiced fury at the controversial plans.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which represents more than 400,000 nurses, launched an attack on the proposal to halt annual increments on top of a general two-year pay freeze, in return for a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies.
General secretary Peter Carter described the proposals as an "unwarranted attack" on hard-working nurses, adding: "Asking staff to give up their increments when in return only some will have a guarantee of no compulsory redundancy is, frankly, just not on.
"We are also highly sceptical that the employers would be able to deliver their part of the bargain with job security. After all, the RCN's Frontline First campaign has already identified 27,000 jobs earmarked to go in the NHS."
The British Medical Association (BMA) also rejected the proposal after consulting its members, saying the new pay crackdown would have led to a "severe, real-terms cut".
Hamish Meldrum, chairman of council at the BMA, said: "While bankers are to be allowed to continue to receive massive bonuses, it is absolutely perverse to penalise the dedicated and hard-working staff who keep the NHS running. The service is about to undergo an expensive restructuring and there are many other areas where savings could be made in the NHS, such as the costly private finance initiative."
The GMB also turned down the idea, saying their members in the NHS were being asked to accept a "double whammy cut" in pay. Pam Hughes, chairman of GMB's NHS National Advisory Group, said: "Quite frankly it is insulting that this kind of offer has been tabled by the employer."
Unison also rejected the extra freeze on pay earlier this week, saying it believed the funding gap in the NHS was so great that its members were sceptical that NHS trusts would abide by a "no compulsory redundancy" agreement for two years.
Mike Jackson, Unison's senior national officer, said: "This was the wrong offer, at the wrong time. Unison members were extremely sceptical that trusts up and down the country would stick to the no compulsory redundancy agreement."
The Government expected that freezing incremental increases for NHS staff in England would save £1.9 billion over two years.
The leader of an animal rights group which attacked branches of Barclays Bank because of the company's then links to the animal testing lab Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) has been jailed for 12 months.
Thomas Harris, 27, from Ringwood, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit criminal damage at earlier hearings.
Christopher Potter, 20, and Maria Neal, 21, both from Seggs Lane, Alcester, Warwickshire, were also each sentenced to 12-month prison sentences, suspended for two years, as well as 120 hours of unpaid work.
The three conspired to attack four branches in Hampshire in 2008 by daubing graffiti such as "murderers" and "scum" on doors and gluing post boxes and cash machine slots.
They also painted "ALF" - standing for Animal Liberation Front - on the side of the buildings.
In addition, they damaged a car belonging to someone they mistakenly thought had links to a company supplying HLS during the conspiracy, causing damage costing £7,500 to repair, while a van belonging to FedEx, another Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (Shac) target, was also attacked by the extremists.
Roger Climie, prosecuting, said that Harris was in charge of Shac at the time of these attacks, but added that it was accepted that Harris was abroad at the time of two of the bank attacks.
He is already serving a four-year jail term for conspiracy to blackmail companies linked to HLS in an attempt to close it down and his sentence on Thursday runs consecutive to this term.
Sentencing the three defendants at Winchester Crown Court, Judge Keith Cutler said: "Each of you have pleaded guilty to a conspiracy which, quite frankly, reflects an appalling period of behaviour."
He described Potter and Neal as "young and idealistic" and added: "I hope when you look at yourselves two years ago you recoil in horror and think 'what on earth was I doing?' I hope it will haunt you for the rest of your life."
British commanders committed troops to operations in Afghanistan because they feared that the Army would be cut if they did not use them, the Government's former envoy to Kabul has claimed.
Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles said he had been told by the former head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, that if he did not re-deploy battlegroups coming free from Iraq he would lose them in a future defence review.
In a written memorandum to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, he said the Afghan campaign had seen "unprecedented" resources diverted to the Army and that most soldiers appeared to be "enjoying" it.
Sir Sherard said British commanders also saw the mission in Afghanistan as an opportunity to redeem their reputation in the eyes of the Americans after the criticisms of their performance in Basra. "The war in Afghanistan has given the British Army a raison d'etre it has lacked for many years, and new resources on an unprecedented scale," he said.
"In the eyes of the Army, Afghanistan has also given our forces the chance to redeem themselves, in the eyes of the Americans, in the wake of negative perceptions, whether or not they were justified, of the British Army's performance in Basra. Not surprisingly, in a profession paid to fight, most have been enjoying the campaign.
"Against that background, the then Chief of the General Staff, Sir Richard Dannatt, told me in the summer of 2007 that, if he didn't use in Afghanistan the battle groups then starting to come free from Iraq, he would lose them in a future defence review. 'It's use them, or lose them', he said."
Sir Sherard said he believed commanders had "unfairly" blamed ministers for shortages of equipment when they could not reasonably be expected to know the details of the logistics involved in a particular deployment. "As Prime Minister, Gordon Brown was particularly unwise to have allowed the military and the Opposition to criticise him over helicopter availability - a very technical subject which requires years of planning," he said.
At the same time he criticised ministers for their unwillingness to challenge military advice because of their lack of knowledge and for fear that they might be accused in the media of being insufficiently supportive of the troops.
In response to Sir Sherard's comments, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "British forces are in Afghanistan for one very clear reason - the UK's national security. Alongside international forces from 48 other nations we are there to prevent al Qaida from again using Afghan territory to plot and launch terror attacks.
"As the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Defence have made very clear, Isaf (International Security Assistance Force) now has the right strategy and the resources with which to deliver it and are very clear about the role that UK forces are playing within that strategy."
Rapper Tinie Tempah leads the pack with four nominations at this year's Brit Awards.
The 22-year-old south Londoner is up for British Male Solo Artist, British Breakthrough Act, Single and Album of the Year. His debut album, Disc-Overy, went straight to number one last October and he already has two number one singles to his name.
There is also recognition for veteran rocker Robert Plant, who picks up his first Brits nomination. The former Led Zeppelin frontman, who has gained critical acclaim for his recent country-tinged albums, is nominated for British Male Solo Artist.
Rapper Plan B and folk-rockers Mumford And Sons all have three nominations, with reformed manband Take That getting two for Best Group and Album of the Year.
The XX also get three nominations, including one for their Mercury Prize winning album XX. Also shortlisted for the prestigious album award, which Brits bosses have made the focus of the show, are Mumford And Sons and Plan B.
X Factor winner Matt Cardle takes on one of the show's judges, Cheryl Cole, in the battle for Best Single. The show's 2008 winner Alexandra Burke is also nominated for her track All Night Long.
Up-and-coming singer Jessie J has already been announced as the winner of the Critics' Choice prize this year.
This year's ceremony, at the O2 arena in south London on February 15, will be hosted by Gavin And Stacey star James Corden.
Corden co-hosted the awards in 2009 with Kylie Minogue and Gavin And Stacey co-star Mathew Horne. He said: "I have always loved the Brits and I am honoured to have been asked to host such a prestigious event."
This year's winners will pick up trophies designed by fashion guru Dame Vivienne Westwood.
Murdered honeymooner Michaela McAreavey was strangled over a purse containing a small amount of cash, it has been claimed.
As the body of the 27-year-old newly-wed began its journey home to Northern Ireland, detectives on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius said the burglars-turned-killers she interrupted in her room at the luxury Legends Hotel were rummaging for a purse.
The price over which the teacher lost her life emerged after police said that one of the three hotel workers charged in connection with the murder had confessed.
It is understood that room attendant Avinash Treebhoowoon, 29, admitted the crime after one of his co-accused and fellow room attendant Raj Theekoy, 33, made a statement implicating him and the third accused, floor supervisor Sandip Moneea, 41. Treebhoowoon and Moneea, who are alleged to have carried out the killing, face murder charges.
Police sources believe they returned to rob the room after spotting the purse in the couple's room while cleaning the day before.
Theekoy, who is charged with conspiracy, is alleged to have passed along the corridor outside the room in the hotel while the struggle was taking place but, despite hearing screams, did nothing to stop it.
A spokesman for the Maritius Police Force said: "Avinash Treebhoowoon has confessed. Further investigations will continue."
Mrs McAreavey, who married husband John just 10 days before her death, was the daughter of one of Ireland's most celebrated sports figures, Tyrone gaelic football team manager Mickey Harte.
A flight carrying the body of the Irish language teacher was due to leave the island on Thursday en route to London. Her remains are expected to be back in the Harte family home near Ballygawley, Co Tyrone by Friday lunchtime.
It is expected her funeral will take place on Monday at St Malachy's chapel near the home - the same church where she was married only weeks ago.
Counting is under way in Oldham East and Saddleworth amid speculation that the coalition could suffer a bloody nose in its first by-election battle.
As polling stations closed at 10pm on Thursday, Labour activists' optimism was heightened by indications that mild weather had helped push turnout to 45%.
Polls have previously predicted a comfortable win for the party, in what would be a major setback for the Liberal Democrats and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
However, anecdotal evidence from those canvassing has suggested the contest may be closer, and an upset is not off the cards.
The by-election was called after an election court declared last year's contest void after finding that Labour victor Phil Woolas had made false statements about the Lib Dem candidate Elwyn Watkins.
There were expectations of a local backlash against Labour because of the circumstances of the by-election, but the Lib Dems have also slumped dramatically in the polls since last May.
Despite finishing just 103 votes behind Labour in last May's general election, polls last weekend found Mr Watkins trailing by a massive 17 points.
Prime Minister David Cameron has been repeatedly forced to deny that the Tories have run a half-hearted campaign in the by-election in a bid to bolster their Lib Dem coalition partners.
Mr Clegg, the Lib Dem leader, and other Lib Dem ministers have paid numerous visits to the constituency to try to shore up their vote. The Deputy Prime Minister insisted this week that the result would be "pretty close". But two polls of the marginal seat published at the weekend showed the Lib Dems lagging well behind Labour.
The result is expected to be declared in the early hours of Friday.
Breastfeeding exclusively for six months is not necessarily best and may put babies off some foods, experts have said.
UK guidelines are for women to breastfeed for the first six months of a baby's life before introducing solids.
But experts led by a paediatrician from University College London's Institute of Child Health said babies could suffer iron deficiency and may be more prone to allergies if they only receive breast milk.
In 2001, the World Health Organisation announced a global recommendation, adopted by the UK in 2003, that infants should be exclusively breastfed for six months.
The experts said the WHO recommendation "rested largely" on a review of 16 studies, including seven from developing countries, which found that babies just given breast milk for six months had fewer infections and experienced no growth problems.
But, another review of 33 studies found "no compelling evidence" to not introduce solids at four to six months, they said, while some studies have also shown that breastfeeding for six months does not give babies all the nutrition they need.
One US study from 2007 found that babies exclusively breastfed for six months were more likely to develop anaemia than those introduced to solids at four to six months, and researchers in Sweden found that the incidence of early onset coeliac disease increased after a recommendation to delay introduction of gluten until age six months.
The authors said exclusively breastfeeding for six months is a good recommendation for developing countries, which have higher death rates from infection.
But in the UK, it could lead to some adverse health outcomes and may "reduce the window for introducing new tastes".
"Bitter tastes, in particular, may be important in the later acceptance of green leafy vegetables, which may potentially affect later food preferences with influence on health outcomes such as obesity."
Parents on lower incomes are more likely to struggle with disciplining their children, according to a new survey.
A poll of more than 1,000 parents found just 27% of those whose incomes fell into the bottom fifth were consistent at setting and enforcing rules, compared to 41% of parents with incomes in the upper fifth.
Some 53% of parents find money to be their largest obstacle, followed by lack of time (20%) and space (8%).
Kitty Ussher, director of political think tank Demos which commissioned the report, said those who work in low-income jobs should get more support.
"Inconsistent parenting due to income-related issues is a deeply complex phenomenon that will only be addressed by looking at reducing poverty, improving housing stock and supporting good parenting.
"What our research shows is that children in Britain are deeply loved but because life is often far harder for people in lower paid jobs, income has an impact in terms of the quality of parenting in the home.
"Politicians should not stigmatise those working hard to do the right thing by their families but instead should support them to do it better," she said.
Dr Maggie Atkinson, Children's Commissioner for England, said: "We know that a combination of loving homes and clear boundary setting are what children themselves want.
"Parents from all social backgrounds provide love, but we have to look at ways to support those who, because of low incomes, have added burdens such as financial pressure and time restrictions."
At least 464 people have been killed after walls of earth and water swept away homes in the mountains north of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
More than 50 people were missing in three Rio state towns after slides hit the region early on Wednesday. A further 34 people have already died in floods and slides since Christmas in the south-east of the country.
Rio state's Civil Defence department said on its website that 222 people were killed in Teresopolis, 214 in nearby Nova Friburgo and 40 in neighboring Petropolis. It said about 14,000 people had been driven from their homes.
Officials said the area hit by slides had seen 10 inches of rain in less than 24 hours. More rain, possibly heavy at times, is forecast for over the weekend.
President Dilma Rousseff flew by helicopter over the region. The nation's Health Ministry said it was sending seven tons of medication to the area, enough to treat 45,000 people for a month.
Survivors across the region were seen wading through waist-high water, carrying what belongings they could, trying to reach higher ground. Many tried desperately to find relatives, though phone services were devastated and many people were still missing hours after the rain stopped.
Jorge Mario Sedlacek, the mayor of Teresopolis, decreed a state of emergency, calling the disaster "the worst to hit the town." About 800 search-and-rescue workers from the state's civil defence department and firefighters were digging for survivors, but hopes were dimming.
Deadly flooding and slides have hit neighbouring states in recent days as well.
Heavy rainfall caused havoc in Minas Gerais state north of Rio, where 16 people died in the past month and dozens of communities are in a state of emergency.
In Sao Paulo, flooding paralysed main thoroughfares in the city and 21 people died in collapsed homes, mudslides and flooding throughout the state.
Poor planning has been blamed after figures suggested that some consultants are making more than £100,000 a year in overtime from the NHS.
Consultants warned that the situation is likely to get worse under Government plans to commercialise the healthcare system.
Documents seen by the BBC reveal that senior doctors frequently earn about £600 for four extra hours of work, on top of their salary and bonuses.
Basic pay for consultants in England stands at almost £90,000 a year on average, paying for 10 four-hour blocks (full-time) a week.
Those consultants who do private work are also obliged to do an extra four-hour session paid at their basic rate if their NHS trust needs them. Any extra work beyond that attracts a higher rate, with many trusts paying between £500 and £700 for four-hour sessions, the documents show.
The rates are set by individual health trusts so there is no national picture of how much overtime is costing.
Dr Ian Wilson, deputy chairman of the BMA's Consultants Committee, said: "These kinds of numbers sound alarming but are acknowledged to be acceptable and will only be after consultants have done a considerable amount of work above their contracts and for free. It's usually hard-pressed specialists being asked who are already overstretched, and the vast majority of consultants never ever do a Waiting List Initiative.
"The fact is that this happens because trusts can't plan for the future - a situation which will get much worse as the Government's NHS White Paper seeks to marketise healthcare even more - and so have to bring in extra help as a quick fix when things get desperate.
"We hear of many cases where consultants are pressurised to do this extra work much against their will and in spite of the figures being bandied about. We'd much rather a healthcare system which is transparent, open and fairly regulated, without the pressures of commercial models which make this kind of thing inevitable."
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: "We expect the NHS to increase productivity and improve health outcomes - this includes making effective use of consultants' time. Consultants and managers should work together to ensure that clinicians' time is planned cost effectively whilst delivering high-quality patient care."
The coalition has suffered a bloody nose in its first by-election as Labour romped home in Oldham East and Saddleworth.
Debbie Abrahams was declared the constituency's new MP with a majority of 3,558 - larger than the party secured in its 1997 landslide.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg played down the significance of the defeat, blaming the government's programme of painful spending cuts.
But the margin of Labour's victory will heighten the pressure on the Deputy Prime Minister from his own rank-and-file. And it came despite suggestions that David Cameron tried to help out his coalition partner by ordering a lacklustre Tory campaign.
Labour leader Ed Miliband will also seize on the strong showing after what has been seen as a faltering start at the party's helm.
The Opposition's activists had voiced optimism after a mild afternoon in the constituency pushed turnout to a respectable 48.06%. And by midnight it was clear that their candidate had triumphed, with the Lib Dems trying to limit damage by predicting a "decent second" for Elwyn Watkins.
The by-election was called after a special court declared last year's contest void due to Labour victor Phil Woolas making false statements about Lib Dem opponent Mr Watkins.
There had been expectations of a local backlash against Labour because of the circumstances, but the Lib Dems have slumped dramatically in the polls since entering the coalition and abandoning their pledge to oppose tuition fee hikes.
Despite finishing just 103 votes behind Labour in last May's general election, surveys last weekend found Mr Watkins trailing by a massive 17 points. In the event, he polled 11,160 votes to Ms Abrahams' 14,718. Tory Kashif Ali came a distant third with 4,481.
The Labour candidate said her victory was the "first step in a long journey" for her party, and branded coalition policies "reckless". "The voters have spoken for the country. They have sent a clear message for those watching in Downing Street," Mrs Abrahams said. "Mr Cameron, Mr Clegg, you may be watching but now you have to listen."
Nine men are due to appear at the Old Bailey charged with plotting terror attacks on major London targets in the run-up to Christmas.
The suspects, aged between 19 and 28, and from Cardiff, London and Stoke-on-Trent, were held last month during a series of dawn raids by counter-terrorism officers.
The potential targets are understood to include the London Stock Exchange, the US Embassy and political and religious figures.
They are charged with conspiring to cause explosions likely to endanger life or damage property between November 6 and December 21, last year.
A further charge alleges they were preparing for acts of terrorism between the same dates.
This was said to be by agreeing potential targets, carrying out reconnaissance work ahead of possible attacks, attending a series of meetings, igniting and testing incendiary material and researching and discussing materials and methods.
The defendants from Cardiff are Gurukanth Desai, 28, of Albert Street, Omar Sharif Latif, 26, of Neville Street and Abdul Malik Miah, 24, of Ninian Park Road.
The defendants from London are Mohammed Moksudur Rahman Chowdhury, 20, of Stanliff House, Tower Hamlets and Shah Mohammed Lutfar Rahman, 28, of St Bernard's Road, Newham, both east London.
The suspects from Stoke-on-Trent are Nazam Hussain, 25, of Grove Street, Usman Khan, 19, of Persia Walk, Mohibur Rahman, 26, of North Road and Abdul Bosher Mohammed Shahjahan, 26, of Burmarsh Walk.
They will all appear by prison videolink before Mr Justice Calvert-Smith.
The number of homes changing hands fell to an eight-year low during December as the severe winter weather exacerbated an already subdued housing market, research has indicated.
A combination of the bad weather and the approach of Christmas led to the average estate agent branch selling just four properties during the month, the lowest level since January 2003 and nearly half the seven that were sold in November, according to the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).
Mike Jones, president of the NAEA, said: "December is always a slow month for agents, but there is little doubt that these figures are worse than usual."
He continued: "However it is important not to read too much into it. This lack of sales can be explained by freak weather conditions, rather than any underlying problem with the market.
"We would hope to see a bounce-back in the next few months. Indeed, the New Year has begun very strongly and agents have reported a very busy couple of weeks that we are hopeful will continue."
There was a sharp fall in interest from potential buyers during December, with the number of people registering with estate agents dropping to an average of 227 per branch, down from 241 in November.
But the group stressed that it was normal to see a fall off in buyer interest during December, as people put their plans on hold until after the festive season, while inquiry levels were still ahead of the 218 people who registered with estate agents during December.
Anecdotal evidence from estate agents suggested that some sellers were marketing their homes for more than estate agents were recommending, claiming they did not mind if the property was still unsold in 12 months' time.
One estate agent in Essex said properties were typically only selling for 10% to 12% below their asking price, while offers on homes that were priced unrealistically were coming in at 28% below the original price.
On a brighter note, the proportion of properties bought by first-time buyers jumped from just 19% in November to 25% in December, despite the large deposits lenders are continuing to demand.
The Taliban in Afghanistan has abandoned its opposition to the schooling of girls, according to the country's education minister.
Farooq Wardak suggested that ongoing negotiations with the Taliban would not compromise achievements in expanding the number of children at school in Afghanistan since the overthrow of the radical Islamist movement.
Under the hardline Taliban regime from 1996 to 2001 women were forced to wear the burka, a garment covering the whole body and head, and banned from working or getting an education.
Mr Wardak, who visited Britain this week for the Education World Forum, claimed there had been major shifts in views about schooling in Afghanistan since 2001.
He told the Times Educational Supplement: "It is attitudinal change, it is behavioural change, it is cultural change. What I am hearing at the very upper policy level of the Taliban is that they are no more opposing education and also girls' education."
He added: "I hope, Inshallah (God willing), soon there will be a peaceful negotiation, a meaningful negotiation with our own opposition and that will not compromise at all the basic human rights and basic principles which have been guiding us to provide quality and balanced education to our people."
Afghan officials are engaged in secret behind-the-scenes peace talks with Taliban leaders in an attempt to end the bloody insurgency that has wracked the troubled country for more than nine years.
Mr Wardak's words suggest that the negotiations have gone beyond issues like the release of prisoners to touch on areas of government policy.
The education minister admitted that historically opposition to schooling extended beyond the Taliban to the "deepest pockets" of Afghan society.
"During the Taliban era the percentage of girls of the one million students that we had was zero. The percentage of female teachers was zero. Today 38% of our students and 30% of our teachers are female."
Colin Firth was moved to tears as he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The actor, who found fame playing Mr Darcy in the BBC's Pride and Prejudice, dedicated the honour to his Italian wife.
"I want to thank everybody that has accompanied me on this extraordinary journey, but probably more than anybody I could ever imagine Livia who has walked every step of this with me joyfully and truthfully," he said.
Before dabbing his eyes, he added: "When I look down there at that star, it's her name I see."
Later the 50-year-old was reluctant to admit he had shed a tear. "You can make of it what you will, it was the wind," he laughed.
His shrine is the 2,429th star, conveniently located in front of the Pig 'N Whistle pub on Hollywood Boulevard, right next to British actress Emma Thompson's.
"Actually that's almost as good as the thing itself," he said.
During his speech, he joked: "I have a feeling I'm going to be here when I'm about 93 under a pile of blankets asking for spare change and trying to convince anyone that will listen that I'm the guy whose name is on the sidewalk - failing to recognise that the old lady next to me is in fact Emma Thompson."
Firth has a big weekend ahead. The star of The King's Speech is a front runner to win Best Actor at this Sunday's Golden Globes.
Critics are also tipping him for an Oscar nomination later this month for his portrayal of a stammering King George VI.
At least 464 people have been killed after walls of earth and water swept away homes in the mountains north of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
More than 50 people were missing in three Rio state towns after slides hit the region early on Wednesday. A further 34 people have already died in floods and slides since Christmas in the south-east of the country.
Rio state's civil defence department said on its website that 222 people were killed in Teresopolis, 214 in nearby Nova Friburgo and 40 in neighbouring Petropolis. It said about 14,000 people had been driven from their homes.
Officials said the area hit by slides had seen 10 inches of rain in less than 24 hours. More rain, possibly heavy at times, is forecast for over the weekend.
President Dilma Rousseff flew by helicopter over the region. The nation's health ministry said it was sending seven tons of medication to the area, enough to treat 45,000 people for a month.
Survivors across the region were seen wading through waist-high water, carrying what belongings they could, trying to reach higher ground. Many tried desperately to find relatives, though phone services were devastated and many people were still missing hours after the rain stopped.
Jorge Mario Sedlacek, the mayor of Teresopolis, decreed a state of emergency, calling the disaster "the worst to hit the town". About 800 search-and-rescue workers from the state's civil defence department and firefighters were digging for survivors, but hopes were dimming.
Deadly flooding and slides have hit neighbouring states in recent days as well.
Heavy rainfall caused havoc in Minas Gerais state north of Rio, where 16 people died in the past month and dozens of communities are in a state of emergency.
In Sao Paulo, flooding paralysed main thoroughfares in the city and 21 people died in collapsed homes, mudslides and flooding throughout the state.
Senior police officials have criticised an "irresponsible" leafleting campaign that is warning residents not to talk to police on an estate where a teenager was recently shot dead.
A number of flyers have been posted through doors on the Pelican Estate, in South London, carrying the message "No one likes a rat. Remember the police are not your friend."
It comes less than a month after 17-year-old Sylvester Akapalara was gunned down in a stairwell on the housing complex.
The posters warn locals: "Don't be deceived by promises of anonymity, protection and rewards. They will say and do anything to make you snitch and then destroy your life. Be smart, don't snitch!"
The head of Operation Trident, the Metropolitan Police's specialist unit which tackles gun crime in black communities, described the campaign as irresponsible.
Det Ch Supt Stuart Cundy, said: "Witnesses play a vital role in supporting the justice system. By engaging with us they provide vital information which helps to solve murders and prevent further crime in your local community.
"We at Trident go out of our way to look after our vulnerable witnesses and ensure they feel able to come forward, so that we can solve crimes and prevent further crimes being committed."
Sylvester, a talented athlete, was found dead on the fourth floor of Heron House on the Pelican Estate in Peckham on December 29 last year. He had been shot in the head and chest.
Three teenagers are awaiting trial charged with his murder.
The Metropolitan Police said there was no criminal investigation into the issuing of the leaflets.
